D&D 5E Mearl's Book Design Philosophy

[Kramodlog]

I'm not sure why there is so much disagreement. This is what Mearls said:

"I have this kind of personal philosophy for managing the product line," Mearls said last month in Renton, Washington. "I don't want to duplicate any product that's come before. I think that if people have seen it, then it's not really new and it's not really exciting."

His wish obviously doesn't match with the products WotC released so far. WotC's D&D release have pretty much been duplicates.

If at least they released a bit more splat and setting material. But there is a dry spell there. 5e looked like a powerful locomotive when it came out, but now it seems like it is losing steam and can't keep people engaged.

 

[Parmandur]

Pathfinder.

Yeah, case in point: I have zero plan to ever touch that with a ten foot pole, don't have the time or the money for that, let alone the headache of all the options. Huge bloat.

 

[Morrus]

Yeah, case in point: I have zero plan to ever touch that with a ten foot pole, don't have the time or the money for that, let alone the headache of all the options. Huge bloat.

Well, what you personally would or wouldn't do isn't really the issue. It's what the market would or wouldn't do that's important, and plenty of people love Pathfinder just as it is. I don't like peanut butter, but I wouldn't suggest that my personal dislike of it is a flaw in the product strategy.

 

[Parmandur]

Well, what you personally would or wouldn't do isn't really the issue. It's what the market would or wouldn't do that's important, and plenty of people love Pathfinder just as it is. I don't like peanut butter, but I wouldn't suggest that my personal dislike of it is a flaw in the product strategy.

Fine and dandy, live and let live I say; that's why I happily ignore Pathfinders existence, and don't look at or post in any forum related to it. It doubles down on everything I disliked in 3E, from rules to art style to release schedule: but I am happy for anybody who enjoys that, have fun.



I enjoy 5E: the art, the rules, the marketing and release strategy: I went from having dropped out of the hobby, to a fan boy. That, in my mind, is success for the edition. And measurable market trends suggest that maybe I am far from alone,and I see no reason to suspect I am in the minority.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

The Coca Cola company thought it was a good idea.

That doesn't appear to be relevant. Are you saying that WotC is ignoring evidence that proves their idea isn't a good one?

WotC thinks crapping on tons of old customers is a good idea.

Maybe describing WotC having a different release schedule than you'd prefer as "crapping on" you isn't a great way to get people to think you are being reasonable?

 

[Maxperson]

You cite the success of splat in previous editions, but that splat was never so successful as to save TSR from bankruptcy or the crash and burn of edition change: indeed, the community ga e the derivative name of "*-book" to mock the model itself. What Mearls seems to be saying is that they want to avoid falling into the "Complete Handbook of * Power" trap, and make each title multifunctional.

TSR went bankrupt due to poor decision making, including sinking a ton of money into a collectible card flop.

 

[Maxperson]

Nope. They are still putting out splats or expansions just much more slowly. Sword Coast Adventures Guide and now VGtM.

Setting books are not splats. They are setting books. Different beasts.

 

[Maxperson]

Maybe describing WotC having a different release schedule than you'd prefer as "crapping on" you isn't a great way to get people to think you are being reasonable?

0 in 2+ years is crapping on. I call it like it is.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

0 in 2+ years is crapping on. I call it like it is.

Again, doesn't seem a great way to get people to think you are being reasonable to take the stance you have chosen and phrase it in the way you have chosen.

Because you aren't "calling it like it is" - you are calling it like WotC looked at what you specifically want and said "screw that guy".

 

[Tony Vargas]

Setting books are not splats. They are setting books. Different beasts.

They've got some crunch. OK, it's got some crunch. OK, not much.
It's not nothing, is what I'm trying to say.

Slow pace of release, is all.

0 in 2+ years is crapping on. I call it like it is.

If it's how you feel, you're just as justified in complaining about it like that as all those h4ters and 4vengers fighting the edition war were.